USES FOR LEMONS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 428, 5 September 1947, Page 26

USES FOR LEMONS

é ERHAPS it would be more useful to suggest how to do without lemons than what to do with them. Both for health and for enjoyment, lemons are almost indispensable. They are particularly rich in Vitamin C, which (like other vitamins) cannot be stored in the body, so that some food containing it must be taken every day. Therefore it is wise to preserve lemon-juice, as well as lemons, Lemon-juice helps to purify the blood-stream, and to tone up the whole system. In fact, lemons are really everyday necessities, like salt, or tea, -or soap! If we are obliged to do without these, we rise to the occasion; but living is much more comfortable when we have them. -. It is very handy to have preserved | -lemon-juice when you want a hot lemon drink for your cold and no lemons are to be had. Here are two methods of preserving and other suggestions for the use of lemons: =! Uncooked Strain pure uncooked juice into small sterilized bottles, nearly filling them. Fill remaining space with olive oil, which excludes the air. Cork. Keep in cool place. When needed, drain off oil with cotton wool. It is a good idea to add about a dozen pips to each bottle. Sterilized Squeeze out Jemon juice, Bring skins to boil in a little water, add to the strained juice. Add a little, sugar-about 1 cup to 2 big bottles. Boil all for 10 minutes. Overflow sterilized bottles, heated, and seal airtight. Dip’ corks and bottle tops in melted wax. For the Hair Add the juice of a lemon to the last rinsing water when shampooing your hair. This removes all soap and makes the hair soft and fluffy. Lemon Cheese (2 eggs) One cup of sugar; 2 tablespoons of butter; the rind and juice of four lemons; 2 eggs. Boil until thick in a double boiler. Lemon Cheese (good) Four eggs-beat just a little; 4 lemons (juice and grated rind); %lb. butter; llb, sugar. Mix all together and cook in double-boiler, or in a basin standing in a saucepan of boiling water. .Keep stirring until it thickens. Keep in airtight jars. See that the water in outside saucepan is boiling all the time. Lemon Honey (no eggs) Two large lemons (grated rind and juice); 1 tablespoon cornflour, 1 breakfast cup of sugar, 20z. butter. Melt very slowly the sugar and butter with the lemons. When sugar is dissolved, add cornflour moistened with water. Remove from fire just while stirring in the cornflour. Then cook all very slowly till clear golden colour. Lemon Cheese (no butter) Take 1 cup water; 4 tablespoons sugar; and juice of 2 large lemons, Boil together. Mix 1 heaped tablespoon cornflour with 1 well-beaten egg, and a little

milk. if. needed. Pour the boiling liquid over it. Mix, return to pan and boil for 5 minutes. Lemon Pudding This is a delicious pudding. The :nixture looks a little like curds and whey when it is ready to go into the oven, but when cooked there is a spongy crust on top and a lemon cheese mixture underneath. Beat well together 12 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Then add 2 tablespoons flour, pinch salt, the® grated rind and juice of 1 lemon, 1 cup milk, and the beaten yolks of 2 eggs. Lastly stir in the stiffly beaten whites of the 2 eggs. Bake in a buttered piedish, which must be stood in a meattin of hot water. It should take about half an hour. Lemon: Tart Filling One and a half cups of water; 14% cups sugar; piece of butter the size of an egg; 2 tablespoons cornflour; yolk of ~ 1 egg; juice and grated rind of 1 lemon. Boil the water and the sugar, retaining a little of the water to mix the cornflour. Put in butter and cornflour, then the yolk of egg (slightly beaten) and lastly lemon rind and juice. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, Stirring carefully. Have the tart or tarts already cooked (just a short crust is nice). Pour in the lemon filling, make a meringue with the white of the egg, place on top, and put back into the cool oven until the meringue sets. Lemon Honey Shortcake Beat a % cup of butter with %4% cup sugar until creamy. Add a beaten egg and beat again. Then add 2°cups of flour sifted with 2 teaspoons baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Mix well, adding essence of lemon or almond, to taste. Pat out this shortcake flat, lining a deep plate, or meat-tin, with it. Spread with a generous layer of lemon cheese. Then place on top this mixture-1 egg, 42 cup . sugar, 1 tablespoon butter and 114 cups of desiccated coconut, all beaten together. Cook this shortcake in a medium oven about % to 1 hour. Lemon Snow Pudding Two breakfastcups milk; 12 breakfastcup sugar; 4% teaspoon salt; 1% breakfastcup cornflour. Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with a little of the milk; and heat the rest with sugar and salt. Add the cornflour to it, and cook over gentle heat till smooth and thickened, Then fold in 2 lightly beaten egg whites, and pour into a wetted mould to set, Serve with this ‘sauce: Lemon Sauce The yolks of the 2 eggs beaten well with 1 cup sugar, and % cup of butter blended in. Then add the juice and ,- grated rind of 1 lemon and about 1-3 cup of boiling water. Cook slowly for 5 ‘ minutes, and let cool.